Residents get sneak peek at Miracle League Field plans

Thursday

May 11, 2017 at 4:02 PMMay 12, 2017 at 8:45 AM

By Austin Harrington Staff Writer aharrington@amestrib.com

Ames residents got their first chance to look at the proposed plans for the Miracle League Field and All Inclusive Playground that is set to be constructed in Inis Grove Park during a meeting Thursday that drew close to 70 people.

Interested residents attended the meeting at Ames Public Library to weigh in on the plans that call for the creation of a ball field and playground that would be accessible to the people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the county, which includes roughly 500 children and 300 adults.

The project will also include parking lot improvements, outlets for food vendors, trail connections, the relocation of an existing playground, sensory plaza, restrooms, tennis court improvements, and small shelters, among other improvements. The playground itself will host a variety of different play options for every age group. The facility will include spinning and climbing equipment, as well swings, sensory equipment and areas for music.

Ames Parks and Recreation Director Keith Abraham said he wants it to be a unique facility and something Ames can be proud of.

“We do not want this to be just like Ankeny, just to be like Urbandale. We wanted something different. We wanted something unique. We wanted something that really speaks to Ames and utilizes the park,” Abraham said. “Yet, it’s still going to look good for those individuals who live around the park.”

Following an introduction by Abraham, Diane Goering, an architect from Snyder & Associates, of Ankeny, the company hired to help plan the project, led the crowd through the plans for the park and what people can expect to see. According to Goering, the project is important to the community.

“It’s a belief that all children have the right to play,” Goering said.

Goering said playing allows children to grow and develop because they can learn social skills, while also getting exercise and just having fun.

“We want it to encourage social interaction and imaginative play,” Goering said.

The plans call for the existing playground to be moved to the northern end of the park near the Red Oak picnic shelter, increased connectivity throughout the park and the removal of a few hazardous trees, while still focusing on the preservation of open space in Inis Grove park. The restroom facility, which will be implemented at a later date, is not technically part of the current project.

When the project was being discussed last year, many of the residents who live in the Inis Grove area were concerned about the audio equipment that would be used during the Miracle League field games. Goering said the audio system is still being proposed because of its importance to the games.

“If you’ve ever attended a Miracle League event, you would understand how important that audio is, how they encourage the children to use the site. So, it’s really an essential part of the Miracle League use of the facility,” Goering said.

Without the audio equipment, games would not be announced, which is part of the way the league is able to show support for children during the games. Speakers would face the nearby wooded area, instead of local neighborhoods.

Some of the questions that arose during the meeting included concern over fencing around the property to stop kids who are considered “flight risks” because of sensory issues and how often the park would be in use, which some suggested could cause parking issues. Goering said they would take the fencing idea into consideration. Abraham said he believes the parking spaces available would fit the need of the park, but the City Council is also considering reducing some of the on-street parking for safety reason.

Another question that was raised during the meeting was about the need for lighting in the area, which neighbors of the park have said might cause nuisance issues in the area.

“Right now, we are currently proposing lighting,” Goering said. “It’s based on the ability to light the ball from all sides. It’s a safety situation.”

Larry Ebbers, an Ames resident who lives near Inis Grove, was among the group who originally opposed the project being placed in Inis Grove and although he is still slightly concerned about the speakers and lighting, Ebbers said that he was pleased with the plans he saw at Thursday’s meeting.

“I think that they have met a lot of the concerns that we have had and I think the plan has been good,” Ebbers said. “Overall, it’s a good plan, it’s a workable plan.”

During the meeting, Snyder and Associates said that they haven’t estimated the cost of the project yet because they wanted to get community input first. Following Thursday’s meeting, the designers will consider input received from the public and then see how it can be implemented into the park’s design. From there, it will be discussed by the Ames Parks and Recreation Commission before it goes back to the Ames City Council for final approval. Abraham said he hopes to have the facility opened in 2018.

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